Journalists

Monday musings on Australian literature: The mysterious 6×8

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In a long past Monday Musings I mentioned the names of several people who had commented on the state of Australian literature. Many of these were pseudonyms, including the intriguingly named "6x8". I decided to dig further, and back in 2015, I pretty quickly discovered that his "real" name was Dick Holt. (It's not always easy to track down … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: The mysterious 6×8

Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 3)

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And now my final event from the Sydney Writers Festival live-streamed (#SWFLiveAndLocal).program at th National Library of Australia. "I do not want to see this in print", Sunday 5 May, 4.30pm Panel: Annabel Crabb (convenor), with Samantha Maiden, Sharri Markson, Niki Savva Australian journalist Annabel Crabb, as cheeky as ever, introduced the session as being one … Continue reading Sydney Writers Festival 2019, Live and Local (Session 3)

Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Media Hall of Fame

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When I was a young twenty-something library student, I learnt a new word - serendipity. It, means, essentially, finding things by accident, and was apparently coined by Horace Walpole back in 1754. It's one of the best things about research I think - unless, of course, you are so focused you have no time for … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Australian Media Hall of Fame

Monday musings on Australian literature: Changing literary tastes (2)

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My last Monday Musings post was on Changing literary tastes from the 1920s to 1940s, using newspaper articles I'd found in the National Library of Australia's Trove. Today's post draws on just one article from the 1950s. I'm choosing just one because it, unusually in my experience, has a by-line - for a person worth … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian literature: Changing literary tastes (2)

Festival Muse: Women of the Press Gallery

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Muse is one of my favourite places in Canberra. It's a cafe-restaurant-winebar plus bookshop plus arts event space - self-described as "a meeting place for those who enjoy a grenache with their Grenville, and their Winton with a good washed rind". They have offered many short, mostly afternoon events, in the 18 months of their existence, but … Continue reading Festival Muse: Women of the Press Gallery

Louisa Atkinson, A voice from the country: January (Review)

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Louisa Atkinson, as I wrote in a post a few years ago, was a pioneer Australian writer. She was a significant botanist, our first Australian-born woman novelist, and the first Australian woman to have a long-running column in a major newspaper. It was a natural history series titled A Voice from the Country which ran in The Sydney Morning Herald for … Continue reading Louisa Atkinson, A voice from the country: January (Review)

Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond

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Quite by accident - no, I tell a lie, it was through a link sent by a good friend (thanks Kate) - I came across "The Vagabond", a mysterious journalist who wrote for Australian newspapers - primarily in Victoria - in the late 19th century. The link was for an article he wrote on sixpenny restaurants, … Continue reading Monday musings on Australian Literature: The Vagabond

Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)

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Washington Irving (1783-1859) is best known for his short stories "Rip Van Winkle" and "The legend of Sleepy Hollow", but in fact he was a prolific writer and, according to Wikipedia, is often credited as being America's first "man of letters". I was fascinated to read in Wikipedia that, as well as being a writer, he … Continue reading Washington Irving, The adventure of the German student (Review)